With the Phoenix Suns sitting at 23-18, 41 games into their 82-game season, here’s our grades for every player on the Suns’ roster to this point of the season (in relative order of rotation).
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!This is a collaborative story by Burn City Suns insiders Brendan Mau and Jacob Hardin
Devin Booker
2023-24 Season Stats (32 Games): 27.0 PTS, 7.7 AST, 4.8 REB, 0.8 STL, 0.3 BLK, 2.8 TOV on 48.9/38.0/89.2 splits in 36.0 MIN
Brendan’s Grade: B
Devin Booker has had some ups and downs this season, as he tries to navigate being a point guard with players in and out of the lineup. There are games, like his 52-point outburst in New Orleans Friday, where he shows that he can will this team to victory just by being aggressive. However, he has gone through too many lulls to rate him as an A. For the second half of the season, he needs to be more aggressive, and the Suns simply just need to stay healthy so we can really judge how he is as a point guard.
Jacob’s Grade: B+
Maybe it has not been the greatest of seasons for Devin Booker, but when looking at the bigger picture, he has been the glue that has stuck the Suns together throughout the turbulent times. Even while headlines blared “Durant wants out,” the Suns record dipped below .500 a month ago, Booker ignored the noise and stayed out of any unnecessary drama. Not to mention, Booker is just .8 points shy of averaging a career high and is well on pace to beat his career high in assists per game. If it were not for his turnovers, this grade would be an A.
Bradley Beal
2023-24 Season Stats (17 Games): 17.6 PTS, 4.1 REB, 4.0 AST, 0.8 STL, 0.4 BLK, 2.2 TOV on 50.6/38.8/75 splits in 31.6 MIN
Brendan’s Grade: C
Bradley Beal has not been the player we expected since he started playing major minutes for the Suns. There are times when he shows flashes, and he has put two games together of vintage Beal, but he needs to do this more consistently. He also needs to be better as the primary ball handler when Booker is out of the game, or even when he is tasked with doing so when Booker is in the game. The Suns need to feed off of Beal’s energy more as they look to stack wins, as he has shown that he can bring a ton of positive energy when he plays well. Overall, he just needs to stay healthy and get more comfortable in the Suns’ system.
Jacob’s Grade: B-
While recency bias may be evident here, Beal has done an excellent job over the past month, transforming from a team’s #1 scorer to the 3rd, if not 4th. Beal is currently on a 10-game stretch where he has scored at least 10 points. The Suns are 7-3 in this span. If it were not for the injury bug that he caught in the first 1/3 of the season, the message regarding Beal’s performance in Phoenix would look a lot different.
Grayson Allen
2023-24 Season Stats (36 Games): 13.8 PTS, 4.2 REB, 3.0 AST, 0.9 STL, 0.7 BLK, 1.5 TOV on 50.3/48.1/90 splits in 33.4 MIN
Brendan’s Grade: A+
Grayson Allen is excelling in literally every area, especially in his accuracy from three-point range, and he is really the sole reason the Suns maintained to stay around .500 even when players were constantly in and out of the lineup. He is exceeding everyone’s expectations and has turned into the perfect fifth starter for the Suns. If Allen can sustain this level of play, the Suns’ starting 5 is arguably the top in the NBA even with three guards in the lineup. Allen has played well on both sides of the ball, and Suns’ fans have completely forgotten about his past and fallen in love with what he can do on the court.
Jacob’s Grade: A+
Not much argument is needed in this one. Allen is averaging career highs in just about every statistical category possible and is also leading the NBA in 3p%. He has tied the Suns franchise record for threes made in a game, not once but twice, and has also made a compelling argument as the Suns best scorer. At times, it almost feels like an injustice to refer to the Suns “big three” without mentioning Grayson Allen’s impact.
Kevin Durant
2023-24 Season Stats (34 Games): 28.9 PTS, 6.2 REB, 5.7 AST, 1.1 BLK, 0.9 STL, 3.3 TOV on 52.5/46.6/88.3 splits in 36.9 MIN
Brendan’s Grade: B+
Kevin Durant has had to shoulder so much for the Suns at times, especially with Booker and Beal dealing with their injuries. He has shown a lot of maturity for being one of the greatest players of all time by showing that he is willing to do or sacrifice whatever it takes to win, whether that be by taking less shots or playing lockdown defense and focusing more on that side of the ball. The only reason I would not give him an A is that the Suns are a play-in team right now, so Durant’s strong play hasn’t always translated into wins. There is not much more Durant needs to prove other than the Suns just need to stay healthy around him, and if he continues to sacrifice for the greater good of the team, Phoenix will be just fine.
Jacob’s Grade: A
Having only missed 7 games this season, at 35 years old, Kevin Durant has transformed into Mr. Reliable for the Suns. While his numbers have dipped over the past few weeks, mostly because the Suns are pretty much fully healthy, Durant is on pace to finish just shy of a career high in assists per game. The chemistry is there, the experience is there, and as Brendan put it, as long as the Suns have a healthy Durant, there is no reason why they cannot make a deep playoff run.
Jusuf Nurkić
2023-24 Season Stats (17 Games): 12.2 PTS, 10.6 REB, 3.5 AST, 1.1 BLK, 0.9 STL, 1.9 TOV on 49/27.3/71.3 splits in 28.0 MIN
Brendan’s Grade: B
Jusuf Nurkić is really starting to settle into his role, and it is not his fault that he had some rough stretches this season. The Suns brought him in to be a perfect compliment to the team’s Big 3, and he is starting to show that he can do just that, but could not do that earlier in the season when they were not healthy. Now, he can focus on the specific areas that coach Frank Vogel wants out of him, including rim protection, rebounding, playmaking and pick-and-roll offense. If Nurkić continues his strong recent play no matter who is around him, the Suns will greatly benefit from his presence on the floor.
Jacob’s Grade: B
The Suns win against the Pelicans on Friday perfectly captured the role that Jusuf Nurkic is designed to play in Phoenix. In this come-from-behind victory, Nurkic grabbed 15 rebounds and had 9 assists. Meanwhile, he scored only five points on just five shots. In essence, he got the ball to the Suns scorers and did his job as a big man. While Nurkic was on the court against New Orleans, Phoenix held a +30 advantage. Over the past four games, Nurkic has averaged just below 14 rebounds.
Eric Gordon
2023-24 Season Stats (35 Games/ 19 Starts): 12.7 PTS, 2.3 AST, 2.1 REB, 1.0 STL, 0.5 BLK, 1.2 TOV on 44.7/38.4/76.5 splits in 30.4 MIN
Brendan’s Grade: C+
Eric Gordon has had some games where he has been lights out, but has only really had one good showing next to the Suns’ Big 3 when he helped them comeback against the Kings. Phoenix needs him to start connecting on his open looks, but even still he has been a much-needed one-on-one defender off the bench and excelled in that area, which many did not expect from him. The veteran guard knows exactly what it is he needs to do, and his play should improve as he gets more settled in and in a rhythm next to the team’s Big 3.
Jacob’s Grade: C-
After a promising start, Eric Gordon’s roll has been reduced to pieces since the Suns became fully healthy. Now coming off the bench, Gordon has struggled to find his grove beyond the arc. Over the past 8 games, he has averaged just 8 points per game. More importantly, his role as a lethal threat beyond the arc has recently been lacking. Gordon is currently on an 8/34 stretch from deep, including a 1/8 performance against the Pelicans on Friday. Since Gordon has shown that he has the potential to go off for massive games, it becomes a matter of getting more comfortable off the bench.
Josh Okogie
2023-24 Season Stats (35 Games/ 11 Starts): 5.3 PTS, 2.8 REB, 1.3 AST, 0.9 STL, 0.5 BLK, 0.6 TOV on 40.0/24.6/74.4 splits in 18.6 MIN
Brendan’s Grade: C
Coming into the year, Josh Okogie talked about how he had improved so much on his 3-point shot, yet he is shooting under 25% from deep and has lost all confidence in that shot when he’s on the floor. His offensive game has become severely limited by that, and he can’t play next to the Big 3 when he has almost no shooting ability. That’s not to say his hustle, defensive tenacity and rebounding have done wonders for the team at times when he’s on the floor. If he can improve his offensive game, Okogie could be a major piece for the Suns, but Phoenix is using him in a good role to just be a defender and rebounder when needed.
Jacob’s Grade: D
Similar to Eric Gordon, Josh Okogie has seen a massive drop off in production since the Suns became fully healthy. Lately, things have gotten so bad that Okogie’s role has been basically nonexistent. Okogie has not had a double-digit point game since December 12th, and as Brendan points out, his confidence has looked deflated.
Chimezie Metu
2023-24 Season Stats (31 Games/ 5 Starts): 5.7 PTS, 3.1 REB, 0.5 AST, 0.5 STL, 0.3 BLK, 0.8 TOV on 50.8/29.4/87.8 splits in 13.2 MIN
Brendan’s Grade: B
Chimezie Metu did not play much earlier in the season, but really burst onto the scene as a lengthy, athletic wing that could back up Kevin Durant when needed. Metu’s 3-point shooting has really fallen off, despite a good start in that area, and the Suns need him to connect on those looks. He has been a terrific rebounded and at time a good post defender, so he has filled his role pretty seamlessly, just makes too many mistakes sometimes. Metu has showed a lot of potential for what he can bring, but needs to do it on a consistent basis.
Jacob’s Grade: B+
Although Chimezie Metu may not have any flashy stat lines, or highlight reel passes, he has proved to be an excellent pickup for the Suns. After spending two years with the Spurs, followed by 3 with the Kings, Metu is shooting at a career high pace. In the one game this season that Metu played more than 30 minutes, he grabbed 19 rebounds and scored 23 points.
Drew Eubanks
2023-24 Season Stats (35 Games/ 2 Starts): 5.6 PTS, 4.2 REB, 0.9 AST, 0.9 BLK, 0.3 STL, 1.0 TOV on 58.3/100/76.5 splits in 15.7 MIN
Brendan’s Grade: C-
Drew Eubanks started off the season so well and many felt he was a perfect backup center with his athleticism and rim protection. However, his rim protection has severely dropped off, and he is not doing much on offense unless the Suns find him wide open underneath the basket. His poor play led him to getting benched for games, so he needs to find that rhythm he had early in the season because he showed flashes that he could bring a lot of energy with some highlight dunks and blocks.
Jacob’s Grade: D
It’s simple: the Suns are a worse team when Eubanks is on the court. When Nurkic is sitting, the Suns are exposed to an opposing team’s run. Eubanks, now seeing much less playing time compared to early on in the season, is averaging near a career low in rebounds and in points. In games that Eubanks has missed this season, the Suns hold an undefeated 6-0 record.
Bol Bol
2023-24 Season Stats (12 Games): 3.4 PTS, 2.3 REB, 0.5 AST, 0.5 BLK, 0.3 STL, 0.5 TOV on 73.9/60/80 splits in 7.2 MIN
Brendan’s Grade: B
Bol Bol is hard to grade because he has excelled in the four games he has played major minutes, yet we haven’t gotten to see if he can be consistent with it given that he hasn’t played in four straight games. In those four games, he showed off his impressive length and athleticism as well as touch on jumpers and around the rim. A lot of the Suns role players have had some really good stretches, yet later just became way too inconsistent, so hopefully this is not the case with Bol.
Jacob’s Grade: B+
It is a shame that as soon as Bol found his confidence and was beginning to play extremely well, he was sent to the injury report. Hopefully, by the end of this season, he will not just be known for the four-game stretch that he started the new year with. Bol has shown that he has breakout potential; it is only a matter of getting the opportunity and not playing hesitant. Considering the crowd reactions that Bol receives as soon as he enters any game inside Footprint Center, it would be a shame if the Suns were to move on from the 7-3 forward.
Udoka Azubuike
2023-24 Season Stats (11 Games): 3.0 PTS, 2.3 REB, 0.3 AST, 0.5 BLK, 0.0 STL, 0.4 TOV on 78.9/0/33.3 splits in 8.3 MIN
Brendan’s Grade: B-
Udoka Azubuike has started seeing some minutes in certain matchups as the team’s backup center behind Nurkić, and he has played pretty well in some of those contests. He had a great start to getting these backup minutes, yet has kind of faltered the last few games he has played in. He clearly has the potential to be a rim protecter and strong finisher around the rim, it’s just unclear how consistent he can be with it.
Jacob’s Grade: C
The former 1st-round pick started this season with the Suns by playing in just 2 of the first 27 games. While Azubuike did have a decent three-game stretch in late December, which included a double-double against the Spurs, like the others, Azubuike’s playing time has nosedived with Phoenix’s health improving. The potential is there, but the opportunity may have to wait.
Keita Bates-Diop
2023-24 Season Stats (30 Games/ 8 Starts): 4.5 PTS, 2.7 REB, 0.9 AST, 0.6 STL, 0.5 BLK, 0.2 TOV on 38.7/26.4/73.5 splits in 16.1 MIN
Brendan’s Grade: C-
Keita Bates-Diop went from not in the rotation to fifth starter to out of the rotation really quickly. The Suns brought him in to be a 3-and-D player, and he has only done both of those aspects in really limited stretches. He has shown that his length can be a difference-maker defensively, it’s just not worth putting him out there when he can’t connect on any 3-pointers. Bates-Diop needs to show that he can be an effective offensive player and hustle more at times to get back to seeing some minutes.
Jacob’s Grade: D
At this point, there is not much of a reason for the Suns to see what they can get in return for trading KBD. The 27-year-old has struggled all season long from three, which was why he was brought over to Phoenix in the first place. Bates-Diop is shooting at a .387 rate from deep, compared to .508 last season with the Spurs. The potential is there, but Phoenix obviously does not have the right atmosphere for Bates-Diop.
Jordan Goodwin
2023-24 Season Stats (35 Games): 5.2 PTS, 3.3 REB, 2.2 AST, 0.6 STL, 0.2 BLK, 0.8 TOV on 37.2/29.1/85.2 splits in 15.5 MIN
Brendan’s Grade: C
Jordan Goodwin had some really good games early in the season where he willed the Suns to victory. However, his offensive woes proved to be too much for the team, as the Suns clearly need offense off the bench with almost all of the role players having problems in this area. If Goodwin does get back into the rotation, he needs to be a better playmaker and more aggressive offensively, rather than just spotting up for jumpers. The Suns could use a playmaking point guard off the bench, so if Goodwin is capable of this, he needs to prove it.
Jacob’s Grade: C-
Playing a key role off the bench for the first 30 games, Goodwin has proved to be too much of an offensive liability for the Suns to have in their rotation. Currently shooting 37.2% from the field, Goodwin has not finished with a +/- in the positive in over five games. Most recently, in a game where the Suns won by 14, Goodwin finished with a -10.
Nassir Little
2023-24 Season Stats (25 Games/ 2 Starts): 4.9 PTS, 2.4 REB, 0.6 AST, 0.4 STL, 0.3 BLK, 0.5 TOV on 48.4/31.4/85 splits in 14.7 MIN
Brendan’s Grade: C
Nassir Little is another player who went from out of the rotation to a major contributor to back out of it because of his offensive struggles. In order to crack the rotation, Little needs to improve his 3-point shooting or show another area where he could get minutes over Okogie. He has had some stellar performances, but is just another player on the team that became way too inconsistent and also has faced some injury problems.
Jacob’s Grade: C
Given Little’s playing time lately and his name popping up in trade rumors, it seems unlikely that he will be with the Suns come the playoffs. Dealing with some injuries, Little has played in just two of Phoenix’s last 10 games. Little is also having his worst 3-pt shooting season since his rookie year.
Yuta Watanabe
2023-24 Season Stats (25 Games): 3.8 PTS, 1.7 REB, 0.4 AST, 0.3 STL, 0.3 BLK, 0.6 TOV on 33.7/31.5/66.7 splits in 14.6 MIN
Brendan’s Grade: D-
Yuta Watanabe has done the exact opposite of what the Suns brought him to do: be a knockdown 3-point shooter and play good defense when needed, struggling mightily in both areas when he sees the floor. Watanabe was supposed to be arguably the first forward off the bench, but cannot be given any minutes when he performs as poorly as he has. Watanabe needs to show he has gotten his 3-point stroke back, as it would greatly help the Suns if he could bring some shooting off the bench
Jacob’s Grade: F
Yuta Watanabe has been one of the Suns most disappointing bench players this season. Known to have a three-point threat, Watanabe is shooting .315 from deep, a career low. Like the others, his playing time has become practically nonexistent since the Suns got their big three back. Watanabe has not played in more than 15 minutes in a game since mid-December. The most threes he has made in a game this season is three.
Saben Lee
2023-24 Season Stats (10 Games): 2.9 PTS, 1.1 AST, 1.0 REB, 0.3 STL, 0.3 BLK, 0.4 TOV on 42.1/0/76.5 splits in 6.9 MIN
Brendan’s Grade: C+
Saben Lee has not played much this season, but has shown that he could be a capable point guard if he is needed. He loves to attack, just brings no shooting when he’s on the floor and doesn’t really fit at times what the Suns need out of a point guard, as his playmaking is really up and down. Lee has proven that he can play good defense, but once again his offensive limitations might be too much for the Suns to play him consistent minutes.
Jacob’s Grade: C
Saben Lee, an Arizona native, has actually had a pretty effective season, unfortunately his opportunities have been extremely limited. His eagerness to attack the basket has allowed him to get to the free throw line with ease. Having played in just 10 games so far, it is hard to assess what Lee could actually bring to the Suns if he were to see consistent minutes.
Damion Lee
No registered stats (has been out since undergoing right meniscus surgery in offseason)
Théo Maledon
No registered stats (signed on Dec. 17 to two-way contract but has yet to appear in a game)
Let us know what you think of these grades!
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
Jacob Hardin is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @JacobHardin_
